harry reid on assault weapons. and many believe that the protection means protect protecting consumers were bankers. and millions of viewers tuned in to watch beyonce sing at the super bowl. this is the birthday of rosa parks, george romero, dan quayle, and george washington was elected president by the electoral college. it was unanimous which meant that george was never forced to produce a photo of him skeet shooting. this is "viewpoint." [ ♪ music ♪ ] good >> john: good evening i'm john fugelsang coming up, senate republicans show their love for the finance industry by working to weaken consumer financial reform. but first, president obama took his push for new gun control laws on the road in the latest of a series of campaign-stale events the president spoke in front of police officers and sheriff's deputies in minneapolis. and he urged americans to write to congress to back what he described at four common-sense measures to help stop gun violence. >> obama: they don't really have winter in washington, d.c. anyone trying to buy a gun. senators from both parties have c

had strong words for harry reid who would not commit to supporting an asaumt weapons ban. >> i didn't vote for it last night because it didn't make sense but i'll take a look at it. >> how can harry reid, a fellow democrat and i'm willing to criticize him say he hasn't read the bill. mayor dianne feinstein has been a mayor. she's been in a shooting. she knows why she needs this. let's support the president and get some things done. >> however, momentum does seem to be building behindmost of the president's proposals. "wall street journal" saying the senate democrats include a bill limiting magazine clips and universal background checks despite continuing opposition of the nra. >> it's a fraud to call it universal. it is never going to be universal. the criminals aren't going to comply with it. they could care less. >>> and factor this one in. an ad by mayors against illegal guns ran during the super bowl. it pointed out that the nra once supported closing the so-called gun show loophole. >> the nra once supported background checks. >> we think it's reasonable to provide mandatory inst

but vote r you coming after the guns. >> that's a great segue of a problem potentially of harry reid to face in nevada. he took down the sportsman for harry reid website which you can still find, you know, screen grabs of online. it features very prominently an endorsement of wayne lapierre on the top and reads senator reid led efforts to create the world's finest shooting range right here in our state and staunchly opposed to the so-called assault weapons ban, played a critical role in passing a law to protect gun manufacturers from junk lawsuits, et cetera. where does he go in the national conversation? you mentioned some proposals flying around. what does he do about this? >> i think he's been pretty clear in trying to carefully stake out the position. the history here is he's definitely a pro-guns second amendment guy from a pro-gun state in nevada and the views didn't change. what's maybe changed is that his relationship with the national rifle association is a lot worse. he's found himself running against them and even though the votes are totally pro nra if you score him. the nra

transgender americans. there will be a vote that harry reid promised three years ago. that is not a reason to wait. when the do-nothing congress stalls the president should take action to do right by the american people. in this case saving taxpayer money from being wasted on discrimination. >> john: tico, i'm amazed that in 2013 we have to have this kind of conversation on this kind of debate. the president has been reluctant to sign this order saying he prefer congress act on the nondiscrimination act. i hate to beat up on harry reid more than i already have this month, but let me do that right now. why do you think harry reid is refusing to bring this to the floor to vote. >> it's been three years since harry reid promised he would bring that to the floor to vote hasn't stated a reason. i don't know what the reason is, and no one can explain it, but the good news out of the white house position on the executive order is that they point to the senate, they point to the house and say they should act. we say we agree. we would love for the white house legislative team to lobby aggressively

secretary. congratulations, harry reid, you built this. barack obama killed osama bin laden so republicans are killing the post office. thom hartmann joins us on that. republicans are still fighting each other. it is like a civil war with the south fighting the south. and eliot spitzer is with us tonight which is historic because you know conan's not going on jay. today is the birthday of carl bernstein, florence henderson is 79. also the birthday of keller and somewhere, somehow jimmy hoffa is celebrating his 100th birthday. we celebrate valentine's day to publicly demonstrate your affection with crap. this is "viewpoint." >> john: good evening, i'm john fuglesang. coming up, another state moves a big step closer to approving american equality and another conservative moves a big step closer to having a heart attack over it. bp pays billions in fines for the gulf oil spill then gets billions more in government contracts. lindsey graham announce he will continue to block lady gaga's tour until she provides more answers about benefit -- benghazi. >>> starting with the senate and majority le

go after investment partnership. harry reid wants to go after oil and gas companies and lord knows what. that kind of tax carpet bombing would generate a correction in the market. the market absorbed the last tax hike okay. but we don't want to push our luck, it seems to me. >> i think we're pushing our luck already. the market has yet to wake up to the reality of the last tax hike. the problem is obama puts the threats out because this is his way of premeg nating with republicans who are going to come to him in the debate about the sequesters and continuing resolution. obama is saying, don't even talk to me about entitlement reforms. if you oh mention those words it will be tax, tax, tax. i will control the public dialogue and that's all we'll e talk about. guys, fold your cards now. that's what this is about. i don't think there will be more tax hikes this year. there's also not going to be spending reform. all the talk about tax hikes is obama's way of making sure that america doesn't deal with its true problem which is its spending problem. >> i will cross that bridge when i ge

background legislation and calling that a win. on abc over the weekend, harry reid pointedly would not commit to supporting an assault weapons ban. >> i didn't vote for the assault weapons last time because it didn't make sense but i'll take a look at it. i think everyone acknowledges we should do some background checks. >> reid said the senate would move the bill through the judiciary committee, it's unlikely to include a gun ban. though reid has said california senator dianne feinstein will have an opportunity to present the provision as an amendment once the bill reaches the senate floor. remember there's a whole bunch of red tape democrats want to actively cascade a vote against the assault weapons ban so they can show they are pro-gun. >> the super bowl ad new york city mayor's group ran in the d.c. market focused on one part of the gun control bills and that's the background check, one pointing out the nra at one time supported closing the gun show loophole. >> we think it's reasonable to provide mandatory, instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show, no l

the primary. he won because harry reid went in and spent $2 million attacking him as a conservative during the republican primary. he said himself he has never voted for a tax increase. always been prolife. even supported a balanced budget amendment too conservative for missouri. the object was help nominate the weakest republican candidate possible to have is a chance. >> you are going to set your isself up as a bureau vetting the candidates. i mean -- >> no, no, no. >> the whole theory of republicanism is to let the local state or district decide. >> i think rand paul had it right. everybody has a chance. we believe in markets. let people do go in and partis it pate. the more people who participate the better off we are. the more we examine the quality of the candidates from top to bottom the more likely we end up with fewer kristine o'donnells and more rand pauls. >> chris: what do you make of the republican party decision to block temporarily but to block the nomination of a defense secretary for the first time in our history? >> why odd. they? the end he will probably be confir

violations. senate majority leader harry reid had this to way about menendez yesterday. >> i have confidence he did nothing wrong, but that's what investigations are all about. he has been and will be a great member of that committee. >> jennifer: i would love to get both of your takes on this very quickly. what is going on here? and how steady is his support? >> this is careless at best sloppy at best when you are flying on a corporate jet and not paying you are doing something wrong. i think there has to be a complete ethics investigation. >> jennifer: jason? >> unless they can find the underage prostitutes this is going to blow over. if they can't find the young women nothing is going to happen. >> jennifer: and to our viewers who may not be aware of this a lot of blogs are suggesting that those flights have led to underage sex stuff but nothing has been proven about that. bill press and jason johnson thank you so much for coming inside "the war room." up next cover your mouth and shield your lungs, coal is making a comeback. china is in a race to see how quickly it can destroy

unity to the president's seblgd term agenda? >> well, absolutely critical. because harry reid decided not to do full-on filibuster reform, he still has to get through the senate and with 60 votes. and on the house side, obviously, the same thing applies. now that john boehner has broken the rule, that he's willing to move bills through with democrats as well as republicans, he still needs to hold together enough democrats so you don't see them walk away with some of these ideas. the main thing that the president has going for him is not so much the party unanimity. they are almost sort of left out in the cold because the establishment is pushing them back. they no longer have an interest in them. they want them to sit down and be kwooit because they're embarrassing them. >> five days before the state of the union address and the president seems to have done well pushing forward on his agenda. got passed the fiscal cliff. immigration front and center. gun control ledge slax and everyone some bipartisan group members of congress coming together on that. it looks as though he's been able

could be if senator harry reid's argument -- that is essentially dead on arrival anyway. >> if diane feinstein doesn't have the assault weapons at least let her have an opportunity to offer this amendment. >> will you vote for it? >> i don't know, frankly -- and she knows i didn't read her amendment. i didn't vote for the assault weapons last time because it didn't make sense, but i'll take a look at it. >> joining me now to take a look at it. editor for the new republic, good to see you, my friend. >> thanks for having me on the show, ezra. >> so that didn't sound enormously encouraging from harry reid, kind of sounded like the assault weapons ban will get a bit of a pro forma vote and that is about it. >> i think everybody knew going into the fight the different elements of the gun legislation agenda, that the assault weapons ban would be one that had the hardest road ahead. in part because you know you still need 60 votes to pass anything in the senate. and in part because the republicans control the house. and in part because the gun lobby has made this a very hard vote to have.

outlets like breitbart and the daily caller. this is harry reid being questioned about this initially doing the whole look at the source thing and now backing off and saying this is what fbi investigations are all about and to the point of harry reid initially coming out and menendez saying this is the right wing blogospea osphere. i don't think that is a good thing to tell the breitbart people who took down anthony weiner. there is plenty of evidence. >> not evidence. >> sean: coming up next. >> you are not a woman stuck in her house having to defend her children, not able to leave her child. not able to go seek safety. on the phone with 911 and she he cannot get the police there fast enough to protect her child. >> gun rights activist gail trotter's powerful testimony captured it the attention of law makers on capitol hill. tonight she is here to explain why women across the country should be paying close attention to the president's assault on your second amendment rights. log on to hannity live and follow the live show, share you thoughts on the program. just go to hannity live.fo

weapons in their homes or out on the streets. >> john: sadly harry reid does not agree. vice president biden was in pennsylvania to push the president's gun control ban including that expanded background check and the end of the sale of large-capacity ammo clips. do you think it will go over in pennsylvania as well. >> in most states even conservatives once you'll see a split where gun violence is an every day problem and people are exposed to it and they have an issue with it. in the rural area even in a deep blue state like new york, in the rural areas where they don't see a lot of gun violence but they use their weapons for hunting you'll see them with a backdrop of officers wearing the uniform badges and they'll have scary guns on display and cher scary, showing people this is the law enforcement problem. we have a gun violence problem. police officers whether they be liberal or conservative don't want to see these weapons on the street. we need to solve it. that's playing from rural areas of kentucky to obviously to cities across the country. >> john: playing the responsible law e

stark when here on msnbc, the president's host, minneapolis mayor slammed harry reid for saying he hadn't read dianne feinstein's bill banning assault weapons. >> how can harry reid, a fellow democrat, and i'm willing to criticize him, say he hasn't read the bill. this is an emergency. let's knock off the washington baloney and support the president and get some things done. >> the white house wants to overload washington's political circuits. an effort to see what it can get through congress without letting congress and particularly congressional republicans, define what issues get addressed. republican leaders are making it clear they prefer to talk about just one thing before the march budget shutdown. >> this was supposed to be the day that the president submitted his budget to the congress. but it's not coming. i think that's too bad. our economy could use some presidential leadership right now. >> and top senate republican mitch mcconnell was just as eager to talk budget hitting the floor to slam democrats for floating new revenue proposals. >> this is just another opportunit

, look, there is a reason why todd aiken won the primary, he did because harry reid spent $2 million attacking him as a conservative during the republican primary. he said he never voted for a tax increase and always pro-life and supported a balanced budget amendment, and the object was help nominate the weakest republican candidate possible, so they'd have a chance -- >> but you set yourself up as a politbureau and the theory on republicanism is to lit the local state -- >> rand paul had a right and everybody has a chance in markets and let people go in and participate, the opposite of politbureau and the more who participate the better off we are and the more we examine the quality of the candidates the more likely we have fewer christine o'donnell's and more ra rand paul joos what do you think of the republican party's decision, temporarily, to block the nomination of the defense secretary for the first time in our history. >> why wouldn't they? in the end he's probably going to be confirmed, but in the meantime this is an opportunity -- the president thought in nominating chuck h

. harry reid is in charge of that in the senate and has not fall news 10 lock step with the white house priorities, howard. >> it's easier when are you in the minority to sort of just go along. when you are in the majority, it's a little bit of a greater responsibility. harry reid has to make the decision whether or not to bring these bills to the floor. there are marginal members in his caucus that might not want to take these issues up. he is responsible for them in some sense. i do believe the mayor is very much involved in this issue. we've been spending a lot of time lobbying members of congress, members of the senate on both republicans and democrats. i do believe that the senate is going to take these issues up. i do believe harry reid is going to bring comprehensive gun bill to the floor. maybe in different pieces. it may be one package. that will be his decision. i do believe something is going to pass in a bipartisan way out of the senate. you saw politico reporting there was a bipartisan group, republicans and democrats from rural and urban states who are working on a c

harry reid for not honoring the whole -- you have him having ripped on republicans. there are so many issues at play here. looks like he's going to get confirmed. and it's also an opportunity for republicans to ask some tough questions on benghazi, all of which haven't been answered yet. >> i want to go to something you said when we were together last time, which is you were concerned about his performance -- >> absolutely. >> and you can't help by wonder what bill cohen wonders, which is is he going to be a weak secretary? >> he didn't have a strong hearing then, but all the reasons listed for chuck hagel, none has to do with any pending issues before the pentagon. it has to do with he's been mean to president bush. he's been mean to john mccain. this process has said more about republicans than quite franklin it has said about chuck -- >> what about this issue of him -- is he going to be in charge of the pentagon? >> i think that is going to be the test for chuck hagel when he is sworn in fairly quickly and fairly soon as the next defense secretary. and i think there's no doubt

pelosi and harry reid and the president himself have all said in the last few days we don't have a spending problem. this will hurt in places. at the end of the day it's unclear how much people will blame the president or the republicans for what. they think we have a spending problem. >> great thing about everybody wants, thinks ve a revenue problem. spending problem. this is great until it's their thing that got cut. my job or my social security or medicare or whatever the cut is. everybody thinking we have a spending problem until it happens. the cuts come and price to play and then we blame somebody. there is blame on both sides but that is the politics. >> bret: does it happen? >> i think there will be -- we have sequestration. >> does it happen? >> absolutely. we needed presidential leadership for 18 months to avoid this. the president is nowhere, never presented a plan. last week they asked in congress testimony what is the number attached to the president's plan and he said we have never seen a president plan. avoid it. >> thank you. coming up, sig, assigning blamer war cri

get anything federal bigger than that. >> john: tim, do you agree? is harry reid going to let the assault weapons ban die. >> it's going to die in the house. that's where the nra has more swag, the primary republicans who go wobbly gone guns. it will be through efforts in states like we saw in new york, maryland and elsewhere. >> john: i guess this is a win-win for the white house. the next time there is a terrible massacre, house g.o.p. you own it. gentlemen, everyone read both of these gentlemen's pieces. they're great. thank you so much for being on the program. >> thank you. >> john: the violence against women act tries to get through congress again. that's next. [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation depressed mood and suicidal thoughts

, harry reid, and fueled by barack obama. >> so very strong feelings about obama care. i should also tell you, though, that congressman browne also has very strong feelings about fruits and vegetables. he has very, very strong feelings about fruits and vegetables. >> the cdc, they're going to be calling you and finding out how many fruits and vegetables you eat today. this is socialism of the highest order. >> you see, there is dominions and cherubims and seraphims. vegetable intake. the highest order. one more. this came when people started to lose patience with the fact that the republican party puts guys like paul broun on the science committee in congress. yes, paul broun is on the science committee. he oversees federal science policy for us as a nation. >> i've come to understand that all that stuff i was taught about evolution and embryology and big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. and it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding that they need a savior. >> that one led to a write-in campaign in this past election

happen. >> a big question has been how far senate majority leader harry reid would be willing to go. read said he will move a bill in the senate but has a pro gun right voting records. >> i didn't vote for the assault weapons last time because it didn't make sense. i will take a look at it. we need to look at federal traffic. every one acknowledges that they do background check. >> today press secretary jay carney says mr. obama enjoyed competing with friends at camp david. >> a bipartisan group of house lawmakers are introducing a bill making firearms trafficking a federal crime it would impose straw purchasers who buy guns for convicted felons and others not allowed to buy them themselves. not sure how far they will go with the president's proposal. >> talk more about this. mike emanuel thank you. >> the president said he is for women in combat and gays in the boy scouts. mr. obama says women are already serving in combat as a practical matter and feels gays and lesbians should have the same access to opportunities like scouting that everyone else has. outgoing defense secretary l

with and sit down with harry reid and senate democrats and work out a plan that they can pass. bill: what about that? democratic congressman adam schiff out of california is on the appropriations committee. welcome to "america's newsroom.". what do you think about the speaker? he is putting all this on the president and democrats in the senate. time for them to step up. >> well a couple things. this is the same speaker that said he got 98% of what he wanted in the whole deal that set up the sequester. but we're getting a very mixed message. we're getting a message, the problem we want the other house to go first. or the problem we want the president to propose something. the president has proposed something. i don't think the america people really care about who's idea this originally was or who got 98% of the what. they want the economy to --. bill: sequester in my own state. that will --. bill: let me get that in a a moment. i don't think anybody is arguing that. you call this a man-made crisis. why wait until friday to sit down and talk with the leaders who could make it happen i

ended up with a candidate the britishry of 2 million dollars in advising from harry reid who attacked him in the prime minister primary in order to boost the least electable republican for general election. if you say nobody should be involved in primaries, congratulations, you're being consistent. if you say i'm happy with the existing groups and i'm happy with the todd akins and richard murdoches of the world, no, crossroads can't get involved then you're not being consistent. >> karl rove thanks so much for being with us, we appreciate it. >> thanks, sean. >> sean: also coming up tonight, brand new information what police found in the home of the man known as the blade runner. a twist in the high profile murder case and our experts in the studio with reaction next and then watch this travesty. [crying] >> we're going to have the very latest, a three-year-old in a wheelchair that is patted down by the tsa in what was just a bizarre happening all just a bizarre happening all caught on n n n n today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's kee

three. i don't think you can trust -- >> senate majority leader harry reid says he hopes gun legislation will come out of the judiciary committee but he was noncommittal over whether he would sign an assault weapons ban. >> would you vote for it? >> frankly, she knows, i haven't read her amendment, i didn't vote for the assault weapons last time because it didn't make sense but i'll take a look at it. >> i will bring in "washington post" columnist ruth marcus and senior staff writer for "the hill" alex bolton. good monday morning to both of you. ruth, this is the president's first big sell to the american people. what do you think he needs to say here? >> well, the president said he was going to give it everything he's got. i think what he needs to say is look, don't listen to the nra, listen to logic or listen to the nra from a number of years ago when it supported universal background checks. i think that there are three issues here in order of likelihood. one is background checks which has huge support and makes complete sense. one is limits on magazine sizes which i compl

to the point? >> it was the white house and lu and neighbors who went to harry reid and say this is the solution. but everyone has their fingerprints on this. and it is everyone's -- it is the policy and it is law. what is important about it is, travesty.verning trace the idea that you are going to go around and in random ways just cut things. it would be like a family that has to cut the budget saying let's cut the medicine that keeps the children alive. it's stupid. >> chris: kim, having said that it's stupid what are the chances we are actually going to reach march 1 and the sequester, the $85 billion in automatic cuts will kick in and if it does and we begin to see marks reacting and stuff how does it play out with the president insisting there have to be tax hikes on the rich and the republicans saying no, it all needs to come out of spending cuts? >> i think it is likely that we do hit that day and that it comes and the reason why is because the republicans have been asking the white house to come up with some sort of alternative in which you actually prioritize and maybe do s

why he thinks senate majority leader harry reid needs to get to work on guns. >>> the boy scouts are getting ready to end their policy of discrimination against gays, and the president is standing with them. >> should scouting be open to gays? >> yes. >> i'll tell you how conservatives are fighting the process. >>> it's the super bowl commercial everybody is talking about. >> god looked down on his planned paradise and said i need a caretaker. so god made a farmer. >> god created the family farmer. i'll tell you how republicans are destroying them. all that plus e.j. dionne, karen finney and jonathan alter on why conservatives are actually trying to blame the super bowl blackout on the president. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. there is a major development on gun legislation today, but there is a good chance you haven't heard about it. president obama continued the push for commonsense gun reform today in minneapolis. he was surrounded by law enforcement officers with the city and the state. the president asked americans to stand with the men and women i